Chapter 78: The Boy’s Feelings (2)
I know you think of me as precious, I understand you wish to protect me, wish for me to be safe.
And yet—there’s no way I would hate that.
Feeling it was painful, feeling it was a burden, all of that was my own weakness. I was given love saying I was precious, yet I hated hated hated the self that could return nothing.
“But—ah—somehow—Nee, sama—”
There Gahel finally noticed his own body.
He could not speak well, and he was looking down on the sister he should have been looking up at.
More than anything, the right arm he stretched to wipe his sister’s tears had transformed like a rugged rock.
(What is this?)
There was no sense of discomfort.
Just as a healthy person does not feel discomfort that they have two arms and two legs—Gahel also could not feel discomfort in his own body. Even though he remembered that until a few hours ago he had had a slender body like a girl’s.
“Ga—!? Gu, fu, uuu!?”
His heart—no, something resembling a heart pulsed. As if telling him not to think unnecessary things.
Something stretched throughout his whole body made gichi-gichi sounds and moved his body like a marionette.
You want to become strong, right? You want to grow more, right? Then something like reason is unnecessary, right?
In that way not only the body but even thinking was being rewritten.
——In the direction of his gaze was Sacred Knight.
The recognition that she was his precious older sister gradually, gradually transformed into the recognition that she was the finest prey.
Love as family changed into base desire directed at the opposite sex, and the instinct as a Monster Villain screamed that now was the time to use “that” in his lower abdomen.
Defile the light, reproduce, and in that process take in power.
He could understand without being taught that that was the role given to him. He ended up understanding.
Therefore with giant both hands, his sister’s clothes—
“Why did you want to become strong?”
—Right before stripping them, a man’s voice sounded.
An abnormal form whose entire body was covered in tentacles, the hood of a black parka pulled down deep.
He stared straight into Gahel’s eyes—and shouted. Strongly, strongly, strongly.
“Because your sister was important, therefore you wanted to become a self that could be relied on, didn’t you!”
I understand even without being told that—but why do I end up thinking “that kind of thing doesn’t matter”?
In front of my eyes there is a female body, and it looks like she lost the power to fight long ago.
See, isn’t it the finest prey.
Devour with brute force, thoroughly enjoy, absorb, become strong.
“U—a, a…!”
It was a repulsive thought.
Normally thinking there was no way he would sympathize with something so base it would make him nauseous—why did he end up thinking “that is what I should do”?
No good, this is no good.
Even if he thought that and desperately suppressed it, that thought swelled without stopping and contaminated his thinking.
——Michi-michi, something spread with a sound.
——To move the body efficiently, to suck up desire efficiently.
He did not understand the logic. But the carved-in instinct screamed “that’s how it is,” “resisting is useless.”
If it had been pain, perhaps he could have continued enduring.
But surrendering himself to the impulse felt comfortable, reason was in the way in the way he could not stand it, and he did not think he could endure it at all.
“Then now is the time! Show your sister that you can be relied on!”
But, ah—
I don’t even need to be told that.
He tried to shout that way, but the face that had hardened like rock got in the way and his mouth would not open well. No matter how much his heart ran wild, he could not even properly emit words.
——What is that, don’t fuck with me.
In that instant Gahel’s body began to grow.
His mouth won’t open? Therefore he cannot emit words?
Then if the power of the jaw grows so that he can forcibly open his mouth, that’s fine.
“She’s your precious older sister, you wanted to save her…!? Then—roar your desire!”
“I—”
With meki-meki sounds his face shattered. From the lips to the cheeks it cracked, and with a bakiri sound his mouth opened.
The mouth that had hardened and could not open properly moved. He could emit voice.
Gahel took a deep breath with his strengthened body—and shouted highly.
“I want to protect Onee-sama…! I hate only being protected, I also want to support Onee-sama—!”
That was his own wish.
That was what Gahel Wayne had wanted to do.
Words not to tell someone but to tell himself—the moment he shouted them and reconfirmed his own feelings, it happened.
“I—!”
His heart, no, the Seed of Desire pulsed.
The plant roots stretched throughout his whole body—they transformed one by one.
——The roots change.
——The image of the roots of the Seed of Desire covering his whole body transforming into something else flowed into his brain.
——Pour a new desire into the form of desire called growth.
——Transform, change, metamorphose.
——The existence named Gahel Wayne becoming an existence completely different from a Monster Villain.
The Seed of Desire sucked up the wish of Gahel Wayne who had suppressed desire and roared, and transformed his body.
Another desire born separately from growth was stretched throughout his body.
The new roots rejected the function that tried to steal reason as “in the way.”
“U, a, aa, aaaa—!”
His swollen whole body cracked.
Ah, yes—he had wanted to grow, but he had not wanted to become this kind of messed-up existence.
Therefore this kind of form was unnecessary.
The giant-like whole body cracked and shattered.
What appeared from inside was a boy ephemeral like a girl—Gahel Wayne.
He was about to be slammed into the ground just like that—
“Gahel…!”
—He was caught in warm arms.
Toward his most beloved older sister who, while shedding tears, put on a smile of relief, Gahel also returned a smile.
“…Ou. You did well, ’junior.’”
While looking a little uncomfortable at that state, the tentacle monster put a smile on his mouth.
He pointed at something with his chin. Looking that way—he understood the intent.
The man in black armor crossing blades with Sacred Saber, Aarg Wayne.
Since Gahel had been released, even if left like this this battle would end in victory.
But—are you satisfied with that?
The tentacle monster stared straight at Gahel with those crimson eyes.
“Can you do it? Or will you leave it? You decide.”
“…Un.”
The boy nodded.
Strongly, strongly, putting in will.
“Let’s go, Onee-sama.”
He stared straight into the eyes of the sister embracing him.
“If we don’t do it, we’ll surely regret it.”
Whether they could save him or not, he wanted to settle family matters with family.
If they left it to Saber and as a result could not save the Black Knight—their older brother, a lingering grudge would surely remain. He felt he would end up thinking why didn’t you help.
Therefore, the two of them.
“…Besides, the reason various things got complicated is our fault.”
“Yes—yes, that’s right.”
Knight set Gahel down and stretched her hand toward her own greatsword—the holy sword Galatina.
Is this sword fitting for the current me? Her fingertips trembled from anxiety, but the moment they touched the hilt—the sword burned bright red.
I’ve been waiting, as if saying that.
You’ve finally returned, as if welcoming him that way.
At her side Gahel also—released his own power.
(This body is no good. But I think there’s no meaning in seeking power blindly like earlier either.)
Therefore what he sought—what was needed was a well-balanced body arranged like a statue.
Rearranging his current child self, growing his whole body to a little older than his sister—around the twenties.
Power filled the thin limbs.
While looking down on the sister he had been looking up at, he hid his body with the lengthened golden hair.
“Let’s go—Onee-sama.”
What rang was not his own girl-like voice but a dignified man’s voice.
Knight was not surprised at that change and nodded strongly.
“Yes, we shall go—Gahel.”
At that exchange the Tentacle Monster Villain put a smile on his mouth—and pointed at the Black Knight with a tentacle.
“Go do it, Gahel—no, Growth Vigilante!”
“Un, thank you! —Um.”
“Atel~! It’s Atel Octo! Super cool name, right~! The person who named it is amazing~, I admire them~!”
At those words, for some reason the Tentacle Monster Villain—no, Vigilante Atel Octo seemed to direct a gaze like “With what face are you saying that…!?”
“Octo-san! Truly thank you very much!”
“Say thanks after everything is over! Knight! Don’t only protect, properly rely on your younger brother!”
“Of course. I have been sufficiently shown my own foolishness…!”
“Okay… this side is finished, come back Saber!”
“Understood…!”
Saber who had been exchanging blades with the Black Knight flicked up the Black Knight’s greatsword.
She slammed a flowing kick into the Black Knight whose stance had collapsed, then used the armor as a stepping stone and leaped back all at once.
Knight and Gahel heading forward, Saber leaping back.
As they passed each other, the two’s gazes crossed.
Knight looked apologetic and awkward—Saber put on an innocent smile like a child’s at the figure of Knight who had recovered.
“—By the way, do we not need to help with anything?”
He’s an enemy executive, right, that Black Knight.
Toward Knuckle who asked that, Atel Octo greatly shook his head.
“Family settlements should be left to family. If they want that, even more so it’s not our place to come out.”
“But—”
Even so Knuckle’s expression was anxious.
It couldn’t be helped. She had only seen the figure of Sacred Knight’s heart worn down and crushed.
She did not know the power of Sacred Knight, the knight even called the best of the Sacred.
“Atel Octo is right. Besides—”
Saber who landed stan beside the two put on a proud smile as if speaking of herself—no, more proudly than when speaking of herself.
“—Sacred Knight is strong. Until earlier is one thing, but with the current her there is nothing to worry about.”